Chronological List
Augustine (b. 354; d. 430) Pseudo-Dionysius (fl. ca. 500) John Philoponus (b. ca. 490; d. ca. 570) Boethius (b. ca. 480; d. 524/5) Isidore of Seville (b. ca. 560; d. 636) Maximus Confessor (b. 580; d. 662) Albumasar (b. 787; d. 886) Alkindi (d. ca. 870) John Scotus Eriugena (b. ca. 800; d. ca. 877) Isaac Israeli (b. ca. 855; d. ca. 955) Alrazi (b. ca. 865; d. ca. 925) Alfarabi (b. ca. 870; d. ca. 950) Saadiah (b. 882; d. 942) Alhacen (b. 965; d. ca. 1040) Avicenna (b. 980; d. 1037) Peter Damian (b. 1007; d. 1072) Avencebrol (b. 1021/2; d. 1057/8) William of Champeaux (fl. ca. 1100) Anselm of Canterbury (b. 1033; d. 1109) Algazali (b. 1058; d. 1111) Avempace (d. 1139) Peter Abelard (b. 1079; d. 1142) Adelard of Bath (b. ca. 1080; d. ca. 1152) Gilbert of Poitiers (b. 1085/90; d. 1154) Bernard of Clairvaux (b. 1090; d. 1153) Peter the Venerable (b. ca. 1092; d. 1156) Peter Lombard (b. 1095/1100; d. 1160) Hugh of St. Victor (b. 1097/1101; d. 1141) Hildegard of Bingen (b. 1098; d. 1179) Peter Helias (b. ca. 1100; d. after 1166) Richard of St. Victor (d. 1173) John of Salisbury (b. 1115/20; d. 1180) Dominicus Gundissalinus (fl. 1150–90) Averroes (b. ca. 1126; d. 1198) Alan of Lille (d. 1203) Moses Maimonides (b. 1138; d. 1204) William of Auxerre (b. ca. 1140; d. 1231) Philip the Chancellor (b. 1165/85; d. 1236) Robert Grosseteste (b. ca. 1168; d. 1253) Alexander of Hales (b. ca. 1185; d. 1245) William of Auvergne (b. 1180/90; d. 1249) Jean de la Rochelle (b. 1190/1200; d. 1245) Albertus Magnus (b. ca. 1200; d. 1280) William of Sherwood (b. 1200/5; d. 1266/71) Richard Fishacre (b. ca. 1205; d. 1248) Richard Rufus of Cornwall (fl. 1231–56) William Arnaud (fl. ca. 1250) Pierre de Maricourt (fl. ca. 1267) Peter of Spain (fl. ca. 1267) Roger Bacon (b. 1214/20; d. ca. 1292) Robert Kilwardby (b. ca. 1215; d. 1279) Bonaventure (b. 1217; d. 1274) Henry of Ghent (d. 1293) Ulrich of Strassburg (b. ca. 1220; d. 1277) Thomas Aquinas (b. 1224/6; d. 1274) John Pecham (b. ca. 1230; d. 1292) Boethius of Dacia (fl. 1270–80) William of Ware (fl. 1290s) James of Metz (fl. ca. 1300) Thomas of Erfurt (fl. ca. 1300) Martin of Dacia (d. 1304) Peter of Auvergne (d. 1304) John of Paris (d. 1306) Ramon Lull (b. 1232/3; d. 1316) Roger Marston (b. ca. 1235; d. ca. 1303) Arnaldus of Villanova (b. 1238/40; d. 1311) Siger of Brabant (b. ca. 1240; d. after 1282) Matthew of Aquasparta (b. ca. 1240; d. 1302) Giles of Rome (b. 1243/7; d. 1316) Peter Olivi (b. ca. 1248; d. 1298) Richard of Middleton (b. ca. 1249; d. 1302) Godfrey of Fontaines (b. before 1250; d. 1306/9) Dietrich of Freiburg (b. ca. 1250; d. ca. 1310) Thomas of Sutton (b. ca. 1250; d. ca. 1315) Hervaeus Natalis (b. 1250/60; d. 1323) James of Viterbo (b. ca. 1255; d. 1307/8) Simon of Faversham (b. ca. 1260; d. 1306) Vital du Four (b. ca. 1260; d. 1327) Meister Eckhart (b. ca. 1260; d. 1328) Dante Alighieri (b. 1265; d. 1321) John Duns Scotus (b. ca. 1266; d. 1308) Thomas Wilton (fl. ca. 1312) Gonsalvo of Spain (d. ca. 1313) Henry of Harclay (b. ca. 1270; d. 1317) Radulphus Brito (b. ca. 1270; d. 1320) Durand of St. Pourçain (b. 1270/5; d. 1334) Walter Burley (b. 1274/5; d. in or after 1344) William of Alnwick (b. ca. 1275; d. 1333) Peter Auriol (b. ca. 1280; d. 1322) William Crathorn (fl. 1330s) Michael of Massa (d. 1337) Guido Terrena (d. 1342) Marsilius of Padua (b. 1280; d. 1343) Richard of Campsall (b. ca. 1280; d. ca. 1350) Walter Chatton (b. ca. 1285; d. 1343) John of Reading (b. ca. 1285; d. 1346) William of Ockham (b. ca. 1285; d. 1347) John of Jandun (b. 1285/9; d. 1328) Francis of Meyronnes (b. 1288; d. 1328) Gersonides (b. 1288; d. 1344) Richard Swineshead (fl. 1340–55) Francis of Marchia (b. ca. 1290; d. after 1344) John Baconthorpe (b. ca. 1290; d. 1345/8) John of Mirecourt (fl. ca. 1345) Robert Holcot (b. ca. 1290; d. 1349) Thomas Bradwardine (b. ca. 1290; d. 1349) John Buridan (b. ca. 1295; d. 1361) Peter Ceffons (fl. 1348–9) Richard Brinkley (fl. 1350–73) Nicholas of Autrecourt (b. ca. 1300; d. after 1350) Robert of Halifax (b. ca. 1300; d. after 1350) Landulph Caracciolo (d. 1351) Gregory of Rimini (b. ca. 1300; d. 1358) Richard Fitzralph (b. ca. 1300; d. 1360) Berthold of Moosburg (b. ca. 1300; d. after 1361) Adam of Wodeham (d. 1358) Richard Kilvington (b. 1302/5; d. 1361) John Dumbleton (b. ca. 1310; d. ca. 1349) Ralph Strode (fl. 1360–87) William Heytesbury (b. before 1313; d. 1372/3) Albert of Saxony (b. ca. 1316; d. 1390) Nicole Oresme (b. ca. 1320; d. 1382) John Wyclif (b. ca. 1320; d. 1384) Marsilius of Inghen (b. ca. 1340; d. 1396) Peter of Candia (b. ca. 1340; d. 1410) Hasdai Crescas (b. ca. 1340; d. 1410/11) Pierre d’Ailly (b. ca. 1350; d. 1420) John Gerson (b. 1363; d. 1429) Paul of Venice (b. 1369; d. 1429) Jerome of Prague (b. 1370/1; d. 1416) John Capreolus (b. ca. 1380; d. 1444) Paul of Pergula (d. 1455) Gaetano of Thiene (b. 1387; d. 1465) Heymeric of Camp (b. 1395; d. 1460) Nicholas of Cusa (b. 1401; d. 1464) Denys the Carthusian (b. 1402; d. 1472) Peter de Rivo (b. ca. 1420; d. 1500) Gabriel Biel (b. before 1425; d. 1495)
(Bold blue: 10,000 words, bold black: 8,000 words; the other authors receiving 5,000, 3,000 or 500 word biographies in the Companion.)
Preface
The Middle Ages is not only the longest period of philosophical development in the West,but also one of the richest and more complex. Its roots go back to ancient philosophy and we are still living with some of its consequences today. Indeed, a very large part of our philosophical vocabulary, whether in English, Spanish, or any other western European language,was developed in the Middle Ages, and most of the philosophical problems about which we still worry were first formulated in the version in which we know them in this period. The historical importance of the Middle Ages and its influence in the subsequent history of western thought is difficult to overestimate.
In spite of this, however, the study of the philosophy of the Middle Ages was, until relatively recently, rare outside Roman Catholic contexts. Secular universities, and even Christian colleges from denominations other than Roman Catholicism, rarely offered courses in medieval philosophy, and their faculty seldom did research in the field. The medieval period was mentioned in two kinds of courses: in history of philosophy sequences,the Middle Ages was usually appended to the ancient period, as an afterthought, and was generally given little emphasis; in courses in the philosophy of religion, where arguments for the existence of God were examined, mention was usually made of Anselm’s so-called ontological argument and Aquinas’s “five ways.”
This dismal situation has been changing gradually, although it is still true that most of the leading philosophy departments in the English-speaking world do not yet have specialists in the Middle Ages. Some do, however, and this has not gone unnoticed in other, less prestigious, places. Medieval philosophy is gradually becoming respectable. First-rank presses are publishing books on medieval philosophy, and even bringing out anthologies of texts to be used in the classroom. Unfortunately, there is still much that needs to be done. For one thing, we do not yet have a book that contains the main facts about, and presents the main views on, the key figures of the period. And, indeed, this is the gap we aim to fill in part with this Companion. The idea behind it is to have, in one volume, most of the back-ground information one needs to approach medieval texts...